I own nothing!
Warning: This story contains child abuse.
FYI: Anna is about 13, Elsa is about 15, and Kristoff is about 14 (just saying)
Please enjoy and review!
Elsa took a deep breath and opened her arms to her sister. Once Anna was settled against the blonde's chest, Elsa began speaking. "As I told you before, I struck you with my powers when we were young. It was the middle of the night and you had dragged me out of bed to play in the ballroom. You loved my powers; it made me happy to share them with you. You were jumping from snow mound to snow mound. My only job was to catch you, but I slipped and-" Elsa took a ragged breath, "my ice went into your head. Your body was so cold, and you wouldn't wake up. I thought I had killed you." A sob slipped from the older girl's throat.
Anna nuzzled Elsa's collarbone, trying to comfort the blonde. "It's okay, Elsa. You- you don't need to tell me if you don't want to." Anna murmured.
Elsa's grip tightened on her sister. "No, you have the right to know. Just, please be patient with me." After another shuttering breath, Elsa continued her story. "I yelled for mother and father. When they brought us here, Pabbie pulled the ice from you, and your memories of my powers. When Pabbie said he would take your memories, I was so sad. They told me it was for the best. Oh, Anna! Please don't fault me for listening to what they said. I was only a child!"
"Never," Anna replied as she laced her fingers with Elsa's.
The blonde took another moment to compose herself. "After he saved you, Pabbie showed our parents and I how dangerous my powers could be. He also showed us how beautiful they could be, but none of us remembered that part." A grimace crossed Elsa's face before she continued. "We arrived home the next morning at dawn. You were put in your bed, but didn't wake up until the morning after that." Elsa paused, her next words coming out in a whisper, "Just in time to see me leave with the last of my possessions."
Anna pulled away from Elsa, turning to look at the blonde with tears glistening in her eyes. "I was told you left because you decided sharing a room with you little sister was too childish for you." The younger girl buried her face into her sister's chest as she began to bawl. Elsa stroked her auburn locks as tears silently spilled down her own face.
Elsa waited for Anna to calm down. The older girl braced herself before continuing her story, knowing the worst part was yet to come. "Before the accident, father was kind to me. He was always wary of my powers, but never mean. That began to change once I was in my own room. At first, he genuinely tried to help me. He gave me gloves and taught me to 'conceal, don't feel'. He cut me off from everyone, save himself and mother. It didn't really help, my powers kept getting stronger. Everything I touched frosted over in my room. Then… Anna, do you remember about a year after I moved, mother got really sick and almost died?"
The younger girl nodded.
"That was because of me. I think out of the three of us, mother had the best understanding of my powers. She was always against the separation between you and I, but she didn't have the will to go against father's orders. Anna, she got sick because she spent so much time in my room without a coat. Her getting ill was the last straw. Father was the only one allowed to enter my room. He began trying out crazy ideas to help 'cure' me of my powers."
Another cry escaped from Elsa's throat before she rushed through the last of her tale. "These 'cures' got increasingly violent and, as they progressed, my powers got more erratic. Then he just gave up on me; the torture became more psychological. He would still strike me, but his words were always worst."
That was as far as Elsa could go. The floodgates opened and tears ran down the blonde's face. Her whole body shook with each intense sob that came with the vivid, heart wrenching memories of her past. Anna pulled her sister to her chest. The younger girl's face streaked with her own tears of rage and sorrow.
After anguished wails subsided to mournful weeping, Elsa began choking out more words. "He told me I was a monster. You hated me. I was a disappointment. I would never have any control."
Although her voice was gravely from crying, Anna murmured into her sister's ear. "Elsa, listen to me. You are not a monster. I never stopped loving you. Anyone in their right mind would be proud to call you their daughter. Finally… Elsa, look at me?" Anna requested. Elsa twisted so that her watery eyes locked with Anna's before the younger girl finished, "You never slipped up at dinner. More importantly, you just told me the most emotional story I have ever heard. Look around. What don't you see?"
Elsa scanned the clearing around them before turning back to Anna. "I don't understand."
A soft smile spread across Anna's lips. "Snow. Ice." She answered. "If that isn't control, then I don't know what is." The younger girl added.
Elsa launched herself into Anna, this time without fresh tears. "It was always you." The blonde said, her words muffled by Anna's shoulder.
"What?" Anna questioned.
Elsa tilted her head so that she was still holding her sister tightly, but her face angled so her speech was clear. "You make it easier for me to control myself. Anna, please don't ever leave me!"
Anna smiled into her sister's hair. "Never," she assured softly.
In the bushes, a stone figure peered between the branches, observing the two girls. He was startled when Kristoff sat on the ground next to him.
"Are you eavesdropping, Grand Pabbie?" The boy asked.
The troll shook his head, "Oh, heavens, no. I simply thought it would be a good idea to keep an eye on them."
Kristoff frowned, "That sounds an awful lot like eavesdropping to me."
"I assure you my observations are purely visual." The elderly troll insisted. The blonde boy rolled his eyes and sat down next to Pabbie. After a moment of watching the two girls together, Pabbie spoke to Kristoff. "I'm proud of you, you know that?"
Kristoff shook his head in confusion. "I didn't really do anything commendable. Sven made me bring them," he replied.
"You offered you home to two strangers who were in desperate need of your help. You also went to comfort someone when they needed it."
Kristoff lowered his head, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks from the praise. "Thank you. Grand Pabbie, I need to ask you something."
"What is it, my boy?"
"When I was in town, the king made a declaration saying the princesses had died, but obviously that isn't true," Kristoff began, gesturing to the two girls still in the clearing. "The thing is that he also said that their mother died. I didn't remember until just now; what should I do?"
Pabbie nodded to himself as he listened to the boy. "They must be told, but not right now. They have suffered enough over the past few days. Allow them some joy in being with each other."
"Very well," Kristoff agreed.
Pabbie looked back to the clearing. "We should go collect them now, look, they are falling asleep."
The boy and the troll rose from their place among the bushes and approached Anna and Elsa. The girls were stirred from their doze at the sound of the advancing feet. Pabbie stopped and nudged Kristoff forward. The boy took a few more steps and watched as the sisters helped each other up. "If you are ready, you can follow me," he said quietly as he rubbed the back of his neck.
All three bid Pabbie a goodnight before turning and walking away from the clearing. The walk to Kristoff's was quiet, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, they came upon the small structure. Its walls were high and made of stone. The roof appeared to be constructed of tree branches and moss. A hanging piece of cloth acted as the front door. The boy held the cloth back for the girls, and gestured inside. "It isn't much, but it's functional." He said with a small smile.
"I like it." Anna replied excitedly as she went in. Elsa said nothing, but followed the younger girl.
The hut was one large room with dirt floors and a fire pit centered against the back wall. In the corner to the left were a few folded blanket. The corner to the left was blocked off by another hanging blanket. "What's back there?" Anna asked, pointing to the blanket.
"That's actually for the two of you," Kristoff replied. "I thought you would like your own space." The boy's eyes darted between the sisters, as if looking for approval.
He got it when he was practically tackled by Anna. The younger girl hugged him tightly. He looked up at Elsa, who had a grateful smile on her lips. He then slowly returned the hug. Eventually Anna pulled back. Elsa had been looking around the room and said, "Is there any particular reason the ceiling is so high?"
Kristoff opened his mouth to answer, but just then, Sven walked in. Instead the boy nodded towards his reindeer. "For Sven. He lives here too."
Elsa watched the animal in surprise. "Oh," was all she could say.
Kristoff nodded. "I think everything you need is already back there," he said pointing to the curtain. "Blankets, and some of my old clothes, if you wanted to change. Umm…" he paused awkwardly, "goodnight, I guess."
Anna said goodnight and disappeared behind the blanket. Elsa lingered in the main room for a moment. "Thank you, for everything." She finally said.
Kristoff smiled, "Your welcome."
The blonde girl cast Sven one more glance before also going behind the blanket. Once there she found Anna had already changed into the clothes Kristoff lent them and was folding her bodice and bloomers. Elsa picked up the other outfit with a slight look of disdain. Anna, as if reading her sister's mind, whispered, "At least you will be fully clothed."
Elsa grimaced at the reminder of her state of dress before she too changed, leaving her discarded clothes with Anna's. The two girls spread the blankets Kristoff left them on the ground and curled up on them, using the last one as a pillow. Anna sighed contently as Elsa rested her head on her sister's shoulder.
"Elsa?" Anna whispered again.
"Yes, Anna?"
"I'm happy."
Elsa smiled into her sister's shoulder. "Me too," she answered.
